The Raspberry Pi Model 4B-2GB as a ADS-B radio receiver controller

The Raspberry Pi Model 4B-2GB makes a great base for an aircraft data receiver station for ADS-B transmissions. ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast) is the new standard for aircraft position reporting worldwide and most aircraft use it to send their position to ground controllers and other aircraft.

There are several websites that show aircraft in flight worldwide. These websites receive their aircraft data in many ways and the radio hobbyist is one of them. You can also invest in a sensor station such as the Jetvision Sensor Stations.

To receive the 1090 MHz ADS-B radio signal requires a capable receiver and antenna as well as a computer to process the signals and plot the locations. The Raspberry Pi Model 4B is a capable computer for this task. We coupled it along with a Raspberry Pi Model 4B-2GB small inexpensive USB powered radio receiver called a DVB-T stick to receive the 1090 MHz signal.

An external rooftop antenna is desirable for best reception, but we are using the small antenna supplied with the DVB-T receiver for this blog article.

We are sending data to FlightRadar24.com for this example, but the setup is similar for the other sites out there. FlightRadar24 has a software package and instructions for the Raspberry Pi system and the setup is fairly easy.

The needed items are as follows:

1. Raspberry Pi Model 4B-2GB computer board
2. The Raspbian Operating System
3. Raspberry Pi 4 USB-C 3Amp Power Supply
4. USB DVT-B receiver module and antenna
5. Powered USB Hub
6. 4GB or larger Micro SD Card

The DVB-T receiver draws enough power that the powered USB hub is recommended so that the ports on the Raspberry Pi are not overloaded. Once you have all the needed components you will need to follow the installation instructions to set up and install the Rasbian operating system as well as the FlightRadar24 software. It is all command-line based, but pretty well documented.